


And My Heart Went Boom

by SparrowFlight246



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bi!Alex, Bi!Eliza, Eventual Implied Lams, Eventual Marliza, F/F, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jealousy, John and Eliza Bromance, Non-binary Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Pan!Maria, TONS of Sexualities here, how does one tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-23 19:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11408982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparrowFlight246/pseuds/SparrowFlight246
Summary: Eliza and Alex have been best friends for years. Completely platonic, of course. Until recently.Eliza is the one person of the group to not crush on Alex. Until recently.Alex is single, and Eliza had always been okay with his partners. Never jealous, never opposed. Until recently.Enter Maria Lewis. And screw all the stuff before.





	1. Knock on Wood

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! Welcome to my fic! So, I was trying to find some solely Marliza fics and realized that there are very few out there... so what do I do? Write one myself! Perfect reasoning! (Also I got this idea and adored it so here we are)
> 
> This will update every Wednesday and Sunday, I'll let you guys know if the dates change. Please, please comment your feedback (comments make my day), leave a kudos if you're feeling generous and don't be afraid to correct me if I did something wrong! Beta'd by Jaysong! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Everyone had had a crush on Alexander Hamilton at one point and time in the friend group history.

This was just common knowledge.

Most of these crushes were years ago, granted. Typically back in middle or high school. For example, Lafayette had crushed on him for about a week when they realized Alex knew French. Angelica had a thing for him for nearly a year after she saw his wit, back in 9th grade. Even Thomas had admitted to being attracted the immigrant for an amount of time during debate club in junior year. All of them had stories, none of which, of course, known by Alex himself. He, being himself, had literally no clue.

Eliza, however, was the one and only exception to this rule. 

She pondered this in the living room of Laf, Herc, Alex and John’s apartment, where she and the rest of them were sprawled out with multiple activities. With college life being so busy, they usually dedicated Wednesday afternoons to hanging out. That was often the lone time they all saw each other together. Unfortunately, “hanging out” was often turned into “studying sessions”, which is what happened that particular day. 

So, John was lying prone on the couch, poring over a medical book, while Herc was reading up on fabric types on the rug, Angelica was studying for some sort of test, Peggy was watching a muted sitcom with the captions on with Aaron shooting rapid fire I’m-annoyed-at-this-show looks her way (which she was completely ignoring), as Thomas had fallen asleep with a large book open in front of him with James playing on his phone beside him, Alex had yet to come home and Laf was clanking around the kitchen, finding snacks. The room had a peaceful quiet settled over it, everyone fine with just doing their own thing.

Eliza was sitting in an armchair beside the couch, a personal reading book open on her lap. Unfortunately, the text had long lost her interest, so she watched her friend group absently and thought about Alex.

For some reason, this was a frequent topic of thought for Eliza recently. Alex was her best friend; had been since elementary school. And she took a slightly childish pride in the fact she was the lone person not to fall for him.

It wasn't as if she wasn't attracted to men or anything. She was bi, like Alex. Although they had a colorful mix of sexualities in the group, those two were fairly simple. So there was no reason for her not to like him. Lafayette often joked that, knock on wood, she was the lone survivor of the ‘Alex curse’. But she just didn't think of Alex that way, she never had. Yet she just couldn't stop thinking about him lately. In what way, she wasn't really sure yet.

She knew this meant something. Something that she had an odd, sinking feeling about, something telling her everything was going to change, and soon. 

Suddenly, her phone buzzed beside her. When she glanced at the device, a text from Alex lit up the screen. A small, irrational thrill surged within her, much to her horror. 

The text said that he would be home soon, with a heart emoji after it. Although Eliza and Alex had used hearts platonically for years, something jumped within her. That little jump had been happening more and more lately. This couldn't be good.

Shooting a quick text back, Eliza sat back and thought about this. Obviously, something was going on with her feelings about Alex. Something that reminded her a scary amount of when she had been crushing hard on the cute guy that worked at Starbucks-

Oh god. She was starting to like Alex.

Eliza’s hands gripped the armrests in a slight panic. This wasn't good,and she was feeling incredibly stupid for not catching this sooner either. She should of freaking known!

But, the big problem here? When Eliza fell for someone, she fell hard. This was always the case. And Alex was, in no way, good for her to fall for. He was flighty and unreliable with some serious commitment issues. She had watched short-termed relationships crash and burn countless times with countless guys and girls alike with him.

No. Nonono. This couldn’t be happening. She had never liked Alex. She was never supposed to like Alex! This messed up everything! 

Trying a take a step back and think this over, Eliza took a deep breath. To anyone paying attention to her, it probably looked like she was having an anxiety attack of some sort, but she didn't really care. She just had to figure this out.

She could just hide her feelings, but she was positivity horrible at that too. She knew her best bet was to just tell Alex that she had a crush on him.

But that, unfortunately, was flipping terrifying.

Suddenly, her mind was pulled to John. The guy had had a crush on Alex for years, but had never done anything about it. Would it hurt him if she told Alex?

Finally, Eliza just breathed. She liked Alex. She would tell Alex. Hopefully the crush would go away then. 

Or, maybe it wouldn't. Alex and Eliza had never spoken about getting together in that way. What if… what if he returned the feelings? What if they actually started going out?

At this thought, Eliza got a small thrill. Even the possibility was exciting. Oh, crap. She was in deep. 

But, taking a shaky breath with a small smile, she had figured it out. This was just how Eliza worked. She would find something scary or confusing, she would take a few minutes to calm down, she would think it over until she understood, and then she would be happy. It had always been how she functioned. 

A decision also helped her significantly. She would tell Alex and see what happened from there on. He was single, and was well known for going out with literally anybody, so there was no reason for her not to go out with him. She had a plan, a plan that was simple and easy and doable. This would work! 

Suddenly, the front door banged open to reveal a grinning Alex. He unwrapped his scarf, which was more decorative than anything else in the slightly cool autumn weather, as he walked in and tossed it onto the counter. 

Thomas suddenly jolted awake at the noise, then frowned in Alex’s direction. “You woke me up,” he said accusingly, trying to get his bearings after sleep.

Alex just grinned cheekily. “Morning!” he exclaimed brightly, throwing his coat onto a hook Hercules had set up a few months ago.

Sitting up, Eliza closed her book. “You’re in a good mood,” she commented, smiling. 

Alex smiled back, collapsing dramatically onto the couch and sitting on a suddenly irritable Laurens.

“Well, you can't blame me,” he said ominously. 

“And why would that be?” John grunted, trying to roll out from underneath Alex. 

“I just got myself a girlfriend,” he said triumphantly. “Her name’s Maria Lewis, it started with a one night stand, and she is gorgeous.”

Eliza froze.

There goes the plan.


	2. A Mayfly Could Outlive You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza meets Maria for the first time.
> 
> She isn't impressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here's chapter 2! So, I swear this is an eventual Marliza fic. Just hang in there, yeah?
> 
> Beta'd by Jaysong, as always, and next chapter up Wednesday! 
> 
> Enjoy!

A few days later and Eliza was actually meeting this girl. Unfortunately, a few days wasn't nearly enough for her to mentally prepare for the perfectly measured human storm that was Maria Lewis. 

There was a build up to this, of course. It started with Alex absently braiding Eliza’s hair as she interrogated him about Maria. 

Well, she didn't straight up interrogate him, of course, but it was close enough.

“So, what’s she like?” Eliza started out innocently, sitting on the floor of her apartment while Alex stood above her, beginning a French braid with her long hair. This was a common thing for them, something neither really thought much of. Until the whole crush-on-Alexander thing popped up. Now, Eliza could barely keep her focus from Alex’s hands in her hair.

Alex shrugged, concentrating with careless focus on the task at hand. “She’s… spirited. Very spirited. And, damn, is she pretty.”

“You’ve mentioned that,” Eliza said dryly.

Frowning, Alex continued braiding. “Why do you care so much anyway?”

Eliza hesitated for a moment before shrugging as well. “I just want to make sure she’s good enough for you.”

Sighing, Alex nodded. His fingers brushed past Eliza’s neck as he got farther down the braid, and she silently hated herself for the amount of pleasure the slight touch brought. Oh, yeah. She was helpless.

They were sitting in Eliza’s apartment bedroom, hanging out away from Ange and Peggy, who were both home as well. The Schuylers shared the apartment, but had their own rooms and own space, which worked fine for Eliza and her sisters. Their father helped pay for it while they were in college, which explains how big of an apartment they had. Alexander had come over for a few hours to hang out with Eliza.

A few minutes later, Alex finished off the braid proudly. “Bam,” he said in triumph, twisting a ponytail holder around the tip. 

Putting a hand to the back of her head and running her fingers over the smooth ridges of the braid, Eliza turned back to Alex and smiled. “Thanks,” she told him, and suddenly his face lit up with an idea.

“Hey!” he yelped in excitement. “Can you do coffee tomorrow? Around, like, ten or so?”

Frowning, Eliza nodded cautiously. “Probably. Why?”

Alex grinned. “You and Maria can meet! You guys are my two girls, you have to meet sometime, and besides, you can find out anything you want to know about her tomorrow.” 

Eliza’s mouth dropped open slightly in surprise. This hadn't been what she was expecting. “Uh-”

Already reaching for his phone, Alex laughed in triumph that he had come up with, in his mind, such a brilliant idea. Although he definitely did have his moments as the extremely intelligent man he was, sometimes, in the world of relationships and people, he was the dumbest guy alive. 

“I’ll text Maria!” he exclaimed, cutting of Eliza. “I’ve gotta get going, but I’ll see you tomorrow! Can't wait!”

He leaped to his feet and left the room, leaving Eliza sitting on her rug. She held her braid weakly in her hands, staring after him. “Crap,” she whimpered weakly.

***

So, the next day, Eliza found herself sitting in a Starbucks, waiting for Maria and Alex to show up. Just when she decided they were too late to be actually coming, the duo literally sauntered in through the door. Immediately, her eyes landed on Maria.

Man, Alex hadn't been kidding when he said she was pretty. The girl’s curly hair and tight fitting red shirt complemented each other well, her skinny jeans showing off every curve she had to offer. The makeup she was wearing was flawless, bright red lips matching the shirt and long, dark eyelashes batting. She walked in beside Alex, the two of them making a devastatingly attractive couple.

Eliza hated her instantly.

As Maria sat down across from her, Alex beside his girlfriend, Eliza faked a smile and tried not to worry about her casual clothing choice of a blue flannel shirt and faded jeans beside Maria’s model-like appearance.

“Hi!” Eliza said brightly, praying that Maria would at least go along with her attempts at friendliness. 

But no, that would have been just too easy.

Maria looked over Eliza before pulling a cigarette from her purse. Immediately, several employee’s eyes were on her, so she regretfully returned it. “Hey,” she said carelessly to Eliza, who simply sat there and continued to fake smile. It had better been convincing.

“Maria, this is Eliza, Eliza, this is Maria!” Alex exclaimed, clasping his hands in front of him and watching the two girls eagerly. If he was expecting them to hit it off immediately, become instant best friends or some other crap like that, well then, he was sorely mistaken. Eliza was willing to give it a go anyway though. For Alex’s sake, if nothing else.

“It's nice to meet you,” Eliza tried, still smiling hopefully.

Pulling out her phone, Maria gave a half nod in acknowledgement. 

The coffee date only went downhill from there, really. And considering how badly it started out, that’s saying a lot.

It was mostly Alex and Eliza awkwardly talking, Maria instead playing on her phone and checking out of the conversation. After a painful hour, Maria suddenly looked up from her screen, brown eyes catching the light as she stared at Eliza for a split second. Then, she turned to look at Alex.

“I’ve got to go,” she said flatly, her expression emotionless. 

Alex, eager to get out of the awkward situation, leaped up from his chair. “Oh, okay! She’s my ride, so I’ll get going too, then!”

But before Alex could go anywhere, a hand had grabbed his arm with a death grip.

“Actually, can I talk to you for a minute?” Eliza interrupted, her expression forcibly pleasant as she looked up at Alex. When he stopped, she let go of his arm.

Sitting back down slowly, Alex nodded. His confusion at why he had to stay was clear on his face. “Uh, sure. Maria, I’ll meet you outside.”

Maria nodded absently, long, scarlet painted fingernails tapping away at her phone, as she glided away. 

The moment she stepped out the door, Eliza leaned over the table towards Alex, her expression fierce.

“Are you crazy?” she hissed. “That girl means nothing good!”

Alex’s brow furrowed. “What?”

Eliza shot a glance over her shoulder, making sure Alex’s girlfriend was outside before she talked bad about her. “Maria!” she whispered fiercely, turning back to Alex. “Why in the world do you go out with her? She has no personality! And the personality she has is horrible!”

Sitting back, Alex raised a curious eyebrow. For some reason, he seemed to find this funny. “Where’s this coming from?” he asked in faint amusement.

“My concern for you!” Eliza retorted. “Seriously, Alex. That girl is bad news.” She was being completely honest as they spoke in whispers over the Starbucks booth. Yes, she hadn’t liked the idea of Maria, but now that she actually knew her, she pretty much loathed the girl and what she meant for her best friend. This actually was out of worry for Alex.

Suddenly, Alex’s amusement at the situation vanished. His brow furrowed in confusion and irritation. “I don't know why you're doing this, but Maria and I are staying together.” He pushed the chair away from the table, ready to leave. “Stop, Eliza.”

As he walked away, Eliza groaned in exasperation. “A mayfly could outlive you!” she yelled after him.

“Yeah, yeah,” he called over his shoulder, the frustration clear in his voice. He left the store and met up with Maria, kissing her deeply before they ducked into a car together and drove off.

Sighing and now alone, Eliza rested her chin on her hand and took a regretful sip of her now cold coffee. That definitely could have gone better. 

As a summary, Alex wasn’t happy with her. Maria was a jerk. Eliza quietly wondered what she needed to do next to keep this girl away from Alex, for both of their sakes. She had to do something, although she wasn't entirely sure what was needed. Suddenly, the idea struck her. 

She needed help. She knew this much.

She needed backup. Someone to support her when she talked to Alex. She felt like she was in some sort of horrible romcom as she thought this out, but she was only facing the facts at the moment.

The answer?

She needed John.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and pretty please leave your feedback for me! I really need to know what people think of this story. See you guys Wednesday!
> 
> (Also, in case you didn't know, some species of mayfly live for about five minutes in their adult lives, hence the title... I felt creative)


	3. The I-Like-Alex Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza confesses to John, and they make a plan together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Chapter 3! Beta'd by Jaysong, as per usual, and the next chapter is up Sunday! Have fun with the John/Eliza bromance in this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

“I like Alex.”

Eliza said the words in the rush, ducking her head in slight embarrassment. A second after the confession, she peered up through her eyelashes to see how he was taking it. 

John stared at her, stunned, green eyes widened in surprise, for a moment. The two sat across from each other on the real rug of Eliza’s apartment, John called there the day after the coffee date. He wasn't sure why he was invited, really, considering he had never been over the Schuylers’ apartment alone, but agreed anyway.

At first, he simply blinked at Eliza. Then, he licked his lips in faint confusion. “Wait. Like, like like Alex?”

“What are we, twelve?” Eliza asked sharply, already on edge about the confession. “Yes, like like Alex!”

A smile cracked across John’s face, much to Eliza’s annoyance. “Laf was right after all.”

Glaring weakly in John's direction, Eliza bit her lip. She tried to chill, knotting her fingers in the fringe of the rug. “I’m not proud.”

John let out a light chuckle, leaning back against Eliza’s bed. “Okay, so, you like Alex. Why’re you telling me?”

Eliza sighed, meeting his eyes. “Because you like Alex.”

“I do not.” John’s tone was immediately guarded.

“You do, and you have since at least high school. Laurens, you're already openly gay, just admit it.” Eliza sat cross legged, her dark hair falling down her back, while John had stretched his legs out across the carpet. His curly hair was pulled into a messy bun, a few frizzy strands surrounding his face. Freckles covered his tan skin, his green eyes glaring at Eliza.

“I am openly gay, but that doesn't mean I just instantly crush on the first male-attracted guy I meet.” His voice was firm.

“You are aware the entire group already knows you're, like, in love with Alex, right?” Eliza raised an eyebrow slightly in inquiry.

For a few minutes, John tried to stay firm. “I. Do. Not. Like. Alex.”

“For the sake of time, agree to it already, please.” 

John frowned for another several moments. Then, he shook his head. “Fine,” he finally sighed. “I like him.”

“Thank you.” Eliza’s entire room smelled of vanilla, from a candle she often burned, and the scent tended to follow her around no matter where she was. “Now, have you met Maria yet?”

John’s brow furrowed. “No, not yet. Why?”

She let out a light groan. “She’s horrible. She’s just bad news.”

Immediately, a protective expression was written across John’s face. “Are you serious?”

“I wouldn't joke about this,” Eliza said honestly, her voice weary.

“Like, is she sleazy or something? Or a druggie? Or, I don't know, just an overall bitch?” John’s tone was demandingly questioning.

Eliza frowned at his language, but nodded. “Sleazy, yes. And she smokes. And, as for the last one, I guess so. I’ve only met her once.”

“First impressions count for a lot.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “And she didn't make a good one.”

John rested his head back against Eliza’s mattress, still sitting on the floor, and watched the ceiling fan spin lazily. “So. What do we do about it?”

“Is there anything we _can_ do about it?” Eliza sighed. “Alex seems pretty set on her.”

“Should I talk to him?” John suggested faintly, clearly not convinced. “I mean, we’re pretty good friends. Or maybe Laf or Herc something.”

She shook her head. “Alex and I are very close, and I already tried with no success. Besides, I don't know how Alex will take you talking about Maria with him. His flings are a common topic between the two of us, but with you guys, it might just be weird.”

Sighing as well, the man nodded. “Good point,” he admitted. “I just don't want him to get hurt.”

“Me neither,” Eliza agreed.

Suddenly, John got excited for no apparent reason. “Oh, oh wait! You can be our spy!” He bolted upright, eyes lit up.

“What?” Eliza asked, leaning forward with a thoughtful frown.

“With Alex. You can see if you can break those two up, and we can get together every time you get some new information. Kind of as a team.”

Eliza smiled, the idea taking root in her mind. “Alright, I can do that. That might work, actually!” Then, something hit her. She frowned as the concept made itself known. “Wait,” she said slowly. “What about after he and Maria break up, if we can manage it?”

John’s grin didn't falter. “What about it?”

“Once they’re broken up… we both like Alex. Who gets him?”

His smile faded. “Well, Alex’s feelings have to be there too. So, whoever he wants, I guess.”

“Let's not think about that,” Eliza resolved. “It's up to Alex anyway.”

“Yeah,” John agreed, his enthusiasm draining slightly.

Shifting, she smiled faintly. “So. When should I bring up the whole Maria thing up next to Alex? We had a little bit of a blowup at Starbucks when I tried yesterday.”

John frowned. “Soon…ish. A couple days at least. Let him cool down from the whole failed-coffee-date thing first.” Then, he smiled. “So you tried to talk to Alex about her already? What happened?”

Eliza cringed slightly. “It wasn't good.” She explained the conversation she had had with Alex as she half mindedly continued to fiddle with the rug. 

When she finished, John let out a disbelieving chuckle. “That must have been intense,” he commented laughingly. 

“It was,” Eliza confirmed. “I feel kinda bad about it, but I couldn't let him just go on with his life without knowing how bad she was. Apparently he can't see it for himself.”

“And that would be our job to fix,” John sighed. Eyes meeting hers, he offered a hand to Eliza. “We repair this one together. Deal?”

Nodding, Eliza shook his hand firmly. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ever so much for reading, and seriously, please comment what you guys think. Don't be afraid to correct me if so got something wrong, either! 
> 
> I'm having a little writers block with this story, so I'm not sure when the next update will be... I'll come back to this fic sometime soon, though! Promise!


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